Fractured Reflections
by Takada Saiko
Summary: Set directly after Pockets Full of Stones. When Loki offers up the information he knows about Thanos to SHIELD he may bring about more than memories. R
1. Chapter 1

A/N: So, I was planning to use this chapter as a closing chapter to Pockets Full of Stones, but it seemed to fit better as the opening. Meh. As long as you get it, right?

**NOTE: This follows directly after Pockets Full of Stones. If you have not read the Thor and Loki series you will be HIGHLY confused. I've posted the order that they're meant to be read in on my profile if you need a reference. Thanks!**

* * *

**Fractured Reflections**

_Though the pressure's hard to take_

_It's the only way I can escape_

_It seems a heavy choice to make_

_And now I am under all_

_"Never Let me Go", Florence + the Machines_

There were halls in the palace of Asgard that were, for the most part, reserved for the royal family. Their chambers lay in the one set, other rooms that they often made use of spiraling out from there, and then the rooms that were reserved for close companions and trusted friends of the family just beyond those. Thor and Loki had grown up within those hallways, tumbling and causing trouble in their youth. The occasional servant could be seen, but it was, more times than not in these days, quiet and empty.

That was really the only solace Loki had as his brother laughed loud enough to wake anyone who might have been sleeping at this hour, the thunderer finding much pleasure in the fact he felt he had outwitted his trickster brother. They had not made this much of a ruckus since their childhood - or when Loki and Thor had begun that terrible fight in their father's sleeping chambers that had ended in the shattering of the Rainbow Bridge - but secrets coupled with boredom had led to childish behavior in the young heir to Odin's throne and the younger prince had no patience in reserve for it. It was in these moments, that if mortals had been able to see them, that they might be reminded that the sons of Odin were not far past the mark of adulthood by Asgardian standards.

"Give it back!" Loki growled, reaching out for Thor and just barely missing him as the elder prince turned a corner.

Two weeks. It had been two weeks they had fought the young king of Jotunheim in their halls and only one since they'd sent him back to his own people to be cast out for his failures. Two weeks of demanded bedrest from the lead healer of Asgard and two weeks of quiet. It had been a welcomed two weeks to Odin's adopted son who found great enjoyment in his books and his studies, but it had driven his elder brother into a temporary relapse in maturity. At least Loki hoped it was temporary, otherwise he might have to rethink his oath of loyalty to his brother.

"What could be so important, brother, that you've sat up every night jotting away in this?" the thunderer demanded, holding out the book that he'd stolen in a taunting manner.

"That is none of your concern!" the trickster hissed, making another go at it and missing. He cursed his injured ribs and the way that their healing still pulled at him. He was not back to his usual speed or stamina, having always been a slower healer than Thor.

"We promised no more secrets!"

"I promised you no such thing! Now stop acting like a child and _give it back_!"

Thor dodged him once more, catching him around the middle to hold him away from the book he dangled over both of their heads. Loki pulled hard against him, throwing both of their balance and they tumbled to the floor in a pile of limbs. The blond prince continued to laugh as he held his younger brother tightly, keeping him from the prize. "If you've taken to writing down your innermost thoughts then all you must do is say so, Loki, and I will let it be. Though I must say that such sentimental behavior-"

"Enough," Loki growled, pulling from Thor's grasp. "I'm done playing this foolish, childish game with you. Hand it over. It is not for your eyes."

Thor heard the anger in his brother's voice and turned to look at him, face flushed and green eyes narrowed dangerously. He often irked the younger prince, but it had been some time since he had driven him to such irritations. "Alright then," he said quietly and handed the leather-bound book to his brother.

Loki seemed to settle down once he'd grasped it and it disappeared into a safe pocket of nothingness that Thor could not hope to reach. Without a word he stood and brushed himself off, looking frustrated still, but not quite as close to taking the blond's head from his shoulders.

"I took it too far," Thor acknowledged, drawing his brother's attention.

Green eyes darted to stare at blue ones looking up at him. The thunderer had not moved from his place on the floor, but instead was leaned back and watching the younger prince carefully. Loki let a long breath out through his nose. "You did."

"I should not have, brother. I am sorry to have angered you."

"But not sorry you did the deed," Loki countered.

"I must admit I am curious," Thor murmured. "You've had your nose and quill in that book into the latest of hours. I swear I can hear you scratching at it from my own chambers, and I dare to think what you write with the sounds of terror your dreams pull from you."

The dark haired prince took a seat on the floor once more, pushing his back up to a pillar next to his brother and sighed. He had never had a shortage of dreams, let alone nightmares. They had plagued him since his childhood, and even more so once he'd developed reasons to be afraid. Though the years stretched on since each new and terrible event, they were but blips of time to immortals, and Loki had never accepted change well. It had shattered him once, leaving him fractured and vulnerable. Though even in the few short years since his fall and his exile, he and Thor had done all they could to cultivate good to counter the bad. No matter what happened, he knew - he knew beyond any doubt - that Thor was there. If everything was stripped away, his brother remained strong and steady as he always was. He was his anchor and his pillar and he chased away the dreams just as he had when Loki was a child. So they faded in less time than they might have otherwise, but events always brought them back. Dwelling on the evils always brought them back.

"I do not enjoy owing anything to anyone," Loki said slowly.

"What do you mean?"

"When I went to Midgard for information on the Jotuns' attack, your friend Coulson provided very useful knowledge and expected knowledge in return."

"Did you imply as much?"

"I needed the information."

"You had nothing to give them at that point."

A smile pulled at the edge of the younger prince's lips. "I know."

"Deceit for your own means has never bothered you before."

"Nor would it have now, if I did not feel that it was a turning point." Loki sighed, eyes fixated on the marble beneath them. "When my name was cleared on Midgard they said that they might call on me, though I have given them precious little on it. These people are your friends and many of them have helped us here at great cost to themselves. It's time I give something back, lest a time come that we need something and they are unwilling to give it."

"You think we'll need something from the mortals?" Thor taunted with a smile, nudging his brother gently.

"Oh, they have their uses."

They sat there for a stretch of time, neither quite sure how long. Finally Thor sighed and Loki could feel him looking. "What will you give him?"

"Information."

"On what?"

"On something I hope they never need have use of," Loki murmured. "Please, Thor, I'd much rather not discuss it."

"Will you let me read your notes before you give it over?"

"No."

"Why not? Brother, do you not trust me after all this time?"

"It has nothing to do with trust, Thor. It has to do with the fact that Asgard should never have reason to fear for it. I should hope Midgard does not either, but if they do, I have done what I can for them." He sighed shakily, knowing that his brother had no question that he was talking around the real point. Thin lips pressed together as he thought and pulled at the words, trying to find a way he could phrase the truth that Thor would both understand and that he was comfortable with. He could not find it, but when green eyes met blue he knew that _he_ didn't fully understand it. "There are things best left in the darkest recess of my memory. Will you let it remain there so it doesn't sully the present?"

"I do not dredge it up," Thor answered as he stood. He reached a hand down and when his brother grasped it he pulled him to his feet. "Do what you must and then let us bury it, shall we? I cannot bear to hear your pain each night."

"Then I shall endeavour to be quieter in it."

"You know what I mean."

Loki smiled, reaching a hand to touch Thor's arm lightly. "I know what you mean."

Thor watched as he walked away and he frowned. Loki had never handled change, nor did Loki let go of things easily. Thor was no fool, contrary to what his younger brother often teased him of over the years. There was only one thing that the trickster could offer the Midgardians that he would not divulge to his elder brother, and if he had opened up even a piece of what had happened to him in those days that he would not speak of it would take a great deal of effort to put it away once more. He would be there for his younger brother, the thunderer vowed to himself, in anything that he needed. That in mind he started for his own chambers to await Loki's return from Midgard.

* * *

Loki was fascinated with things he did not fully understand. Granted, if given much time at all, he could often obtain at least the basic knowledge of the matter, but it excited him all the same. SHIELD's helicarrier - a bizarre name, as were many Midgardian names in his opinion - had perked his interest even while under the heavy blanket that the Tesseract provided all of those that she enlightened, but the trickster was fairly certain that there was not a mortal alive that would allow him access enough to see how the entire machine worked.

"Please tell me you haven't touched anything."

He'd heard him, but he'd been ignoring him as he studied the flashing lights to find their purpose. Green eyes glanced back in acknowledgement, an easy smile gracing his thin lips. "Agent Coulson, you wound me."

"There are supposed to be men here."

"There were. I think they're chasing some noises down the hall over there," Loki said and nodded in one general direction. "Isn't that what you're doing here? Chasing shadows?"

"There were some reports. I guess I should be thankful you didn't show up in my room, shouldn't I?"

"I do understand personal privacy," the second prince of Asgard murmured, thin fingers trailing along the dials. His magic was reaching through them, reading and deciphering what each one did and how they worked. He could feel Coulson's steady gaze on his back.

"Somehow I doubt that very much. Is there a reason you're here or do you just enjoy making a mockery of the restrictions placed on you?"

"Yes, I have a reason to be here," Loki answered quickly, almost as if he'd forgotten it for a moment. His hands left their place over the board and pulled the leather-bound book from thin air. "I felt I owed you more than what you received in our last encounter."

Phil's eyes narrowed hesitantly and reached hesitantly for the offered gift. "I take it we're not about to get an early winter?"

"No, that's been handled."

"Then what's this?"

All amusement seemed to wash from the trickster's expression and a small frown tugged at his lips. "That is dangerous," he warned carefully. "Much as the Tesseract called more dangerous foes to your doorstep, this information has that potential, but it can also help you to prepare should that particular threat ever come."

"So you've handed me a time bomb and you don't know if it's armed yet or not?"

The smile returned. "I've cloaked it, so it should not draw attention. I simply wanted to give you the warning to keep it quiet. It isn't for wide sharing, if you understand my meaning."

"You still haven't told me what it is." Coulson let the book drop open in his hands and hazel eyes scanned it. They grew wide at the various detailed notes. "What the hell is this?"

"The Chitauri's leader was only an envoy for the benefactor behind the Tesseract incident. His name is Thanos and I hope, for your sake, that he has lost all interest in your earth." He watched Coulson as the human studied the words. "I'm afraid that is all I know of him. While the Tesseract does tend to... dampen one's interest in anything outside of what is needed to reach its goal, I suppose my natural curiosity is difficult to wipe out completely."

"But they have no way to travel between worlds like you Asgardians do?"

"Hence the need of the Tesseract," Loki answered with a shrug. "And me before the door opened."

Coulson snapped the book shut, turning a sharp glare on the immortal. "If I find out this is some trick, some kind of play-"

"I have no interest in setting you mortals up for anything that I will only be saddled with bailing you out of. If you choose not to use the information, that is your choice, but it is there for you and Fury nevertheless. Use it or don't. It matters little to me."

The SHIELD agent considered him a moment before sighing. He'd always thought of himself as a good judge of character and no flags were going up now. The Asgardian seemed as sincere as one called the god of mischief could be. "Do you have a photographic memory or something? The details in this are incredible."

"It's a spell. After the issue we discussed on my last visit, I had a bit of downtime forced upon me. It gave me enough hours to cast it undisturbed. Basically, it allows me to relive the moments and view it as an outsider would, to note things that I might not have otherwise." He wasn't sure why he was divulging the information, but it seemed to come freely enough.

"Tough days, hm?"

"They were," Loki murmured, not entirely sure which time Coulson was referring to.

Phil pulled in another deep breath, letting it out slowly in a long sigh. Finally, he reached a hand out. "Thank you."

The dark haired prince stared at it as if it were an oddity. His green eyes flickered from the outstretched hand to Coulson's face and back again several times.

"What? You people don't shake hands on Asgard?"

"We do, but rarely is one offered to me," the trickster murmured thoughtfully. He reached out and clasped the offered hand, surprised at how firm the handshake was.

Coulson seemed entirely unphased by the admission and held the book up as he started out of the room in a gesture of thanks, but instead he said, "Don't press any of the buttons and don't let the Director find you. He was ready to take your head off for your last unexpected visit. He's convinced the helicarrier will crash just because you're on it."

Loki felt a smile tug at his lips as he faded from Midgard. Slowly and surely he'd begun to see just what Thor saw in these mortals, but he'd be damned if he'd ever admit it out loud.

* * *

TBC

A/N: Anyone watch the Ultimate Spiderman series that started last year? I just found it recently and they fly in these fantastic mini-helicarriers when they leave the main one. I want to see Loki fly one. I think he'd have a blast and it would cause so much discomfort in every SHIELD agent available.


	2. Part Two

A/N: Happy birthday to Gabrielle Day!

* * *

**Part Two.**

Cold was never a good sign. Loki found himself standing on a rocky surface that could only have been brought on by the days of devotion to detailing his encounter with the Chitauri and Thanos. It was a dream, perhaps remanence of the spell he'd cast, but in any case, he reminded himself carefully, it was not real.

He could see himself in a distance and he grimly thought that memories and dreams had no place mingling. He'd come to this place broken and beaten down by the uncaring universe. He'd been cast out, exiled, and betrayed. He had no one and he had wanted nothing to do with Thanos or the Chitauri at first. They were further complications and he held no respect for them. They had been... _persuasive_ in their methods.

_You thought you knew pain._

Loki felt the chill crawl up his spine, sending a shiver through him at the gravely voice. He could not see the owner to it, but he knew he was close. Illusion or not, he'd prefer not to face him or his shadowy master.

He tried not to cringe as he felt the oddly shaped hand take a sudden hold on the back of his neck. It clamped down, sending pain shooting through his shoulders and forcing him down. It was as if knives had been driven in and a small gasp escaped him as he found his knees colliding with the solid ground.

_You thought you could hide._

"Just a dream," the trickster murmured to himself.

_You thought he could protect you._

Loki felt his head being jerked upward, the second hand wrapped in his dark hair. He couldn't close his eyes, even if everything within him screamed to. Instead he watched as a form, blurred by speed, crashed into the rocky terrain and was forced down into the ground. It had been forced downward by a creature that the god of mischief had only met briefly and would much rather have continued to avoid for the rest of his days. Thanos, dream or not, was a frightening figure to behold, dwarfing the Asgardian prince as if he'd been little more than a child. In one large hand he hauled Thor from the ground, limp and covered in blood. Loki had never seen his brother look so small.

_You were wrong._

Loki woke screaming his brother's name, sitting straight up in bed to the point that he had rocked forward to his knees. He was tangled in the bedsheets and drenched in sweat, his long fingers reaching out as if he'd been trying to grasp something. He wasn't sure what, because he had seen his brother's face in the dream and he had been gone.

The prince couldn't control his breathing as he choked against a sob that bubbled in his throat and he lay against the cool sheets shaking. He could still feel the clammy hands around him, the pain in his shoulders, and even as he closed his eyes against it he saw his brother's face pale as death with eyes that stared vacantly.

He jolted as the sound of a soft knock came from his door and he watched it, almost afraid to see what was on the other side. His entire body was trembling and his eyes remained glued on the door that slowly opened, revealing the dim lights from the torches in the hall.

"Loki?" Thor's voice filtered in and the trickster felt himself calm. "Brother?"

"I'm awake," Loki answered softly and buried his face back into his pillow.

He heard Thor close the door behind him, invitation taken in the fact that the younger prince had answered at all, and pad his way over to the bed. The mattress dipped down next to him as the god of thunder sat, one large hand on his brother's shoulder. "Are you well?"

Any lie he could come up with in this state would be a feeble attempt and not worthy of his epithet, so Loki merely grunted a reply, feeling himself burn in embarrassment. He had known the potential consequences of his actions when he'd set to noting his experiences and the fact that he'd brought his brother running the the dead of the night with some horrible scream was more humiliating than his sleep deprived mind was willing to deal with.

"Loki?" Thor's voice sounded more worried now and Loki felt hands on either shoulder, pulling him up so that the blond could look him in the face. He must have looked a sight with the wide-eyed stare he received that almost instantly melted as the thunderer pulled his brother into a tight embrace.

"Enough," Loki groused, squirming and running his thin hand along his face. It came away wet and he cursed himself for his tears. Thor was not dead and he'd let the dream get the best of him. "It was just a nightmare. I'm sorry to have startled you."

"I meant to greet you when you came back," his brother murmured, shifting his weight and letting Loki move to where he was more comfortable.

"I was tired and in no mood for company."

"And now?"

His pride nearly spoke first, telling Thor that he was still in no mood for it, which was true, but when green eyes came to rest on the elder prince's earnest expression and he thought of how dream-Thanos had pummeled him into the ground, breaking every bone so that Loki could almost _hear_ it... He shuddered and shook his head, not quite able to send him away. "I'm still tired, but I doubt I'll sleep more."

"You don't mind me staying then?"

Loki offered him a smile that showed he knew his brother was being kind. "If you must."

Thor grinned at this, settling in so that he was propped against the headboard with his arms folded behind his head. He looked so at ease there and Loki envied him for a moment.

"I dreamt tonight too," he said after a stretch of silence, cracking open one blue eye to find his brother studying him.

"You don't often dream."

"I don't often tell you that I dream." A smile crossed his features that was not quite sad, nor was it filled with any joy. "I'll admit to you, brother, because I know you'll keep my secret."

"Of course."

"I was on my way to your chambers when I heard you cry out. I'd already dreamt of that terrible night on the Bridge, after our conversation earlier."

"We said nothing of the Bridge earlier."

"I know, but I'm not as much of a fool as you'd like to believe sometimes." The crowned prince offered his brother another one of those smiles that Loki wasn't sure looked right on him. Thor was sunshine and bright, almost uncontrollable, excitement. He lit up a room by passing through it and his laughter echoed through every hallway of the palace. Any form of gloom had never suited him well. In their elder years, though, he had learned hardship and pain. He had seen it before, but he seemed to understand it now.

"I know you're not a fool," Loki admitted softly, leaning back with him against the board.

"I've told you of it before. You drop just out of my reach and I can't... I _don't_ catch you. I should have."

"You couldn't have," the dark haired prince whispered softly. He took a deep breath and leaned against his brother, the closeness something he knew helped Thor. It helped him too, but he was much slower to admit it.

Thor leaned his head so that it rested on the top of Loki's. "What did you dream of?"

"You died and I couldn't stop it."

"Then we dreamt the same," the blond prince murmured sleepily. "The same false dream."

Loki smiled to himself. Even when touched with gloom, Thor was a light in it.

* * *

Morning dawned with expectations of normalcy, whatever that was. Thor complained heavily when Loki harassed him into attending more meetings than he usually did, but the trickster smiled and charmed him into receiving the time to stow away to a different part of the castle. It was good for him, truth be told, and eventually Thor would be expected to attend them anyway.

"I heard Aegir gleefully discussing the long list of meetings that you and your brother were to be attending this morning," Frigga's voice met him as he rounded the corner.

Her younger son smiled broadly. "I attend as many as I do to lighten Thor's load. There is no war on our doorstep, nor peace agreement, nor anything of the sort. He'll survive. I've been looking for you."

"I know," Frigga answered as she laid her book down in her lap and patted the cushion next to her on her window seat. "What's troubling you?"

"Must something be troubling me to seek out my own mother?"

"No, but the spell you've cast on yourself to cover the signs of sleepless nights does cause the mother in question to ask. My son, what is troubling you?"

Loki took the offered seat, looking a bit sheepish as he did so. He had never been able to fool her. "I know that you are well-versed in the art of projecting your consciousness over vast space. It is a rare gift."

Frigga turned her wise eyes on her younger son and they studied him. She had been the first to know he was alive after his fall, the first to find him. She'd reached out, a ghostly form calling him home. "I am. You know this from experience." She waited and watched, finding him reluctant to speak further. "My dear, you have always been able to speak openly with me."

He pulled in a deep breath through his nose, straightening his shoulders. "Is it possible to be pulled in that manner and have those doing the pulling manipulate what is seen?"

If she were startled by the question, she did not show it. Instead she pursed her lips together thoughtfully. "It is, though it would take opening oneself up in ways that should be avoided, just for these reasons." She paused, reaching out to lay one hand against her son's. "Loki, I've never known you to open yourself in that way to anything."

And so he told her, in the way that he had always been able to tell her anything and feel no judgment against his actions. She listened carefully, nodding, and finally gripped his hand tightly as he finished with the dream. He was shaking now, very slightly, but she did not miss it. "My dear, I do not belittle this you know, but have you thought about the possibility that it was simply as it appeared? That it was simply a dream turned to nightmare?"

"I've had my share of nightmares, Mother. I know what they are and I know how they feel. Even the ones that leave me quaking when I wake... No. This was different."

"With each passing pain your mind must find new ways to handle it," Frigga murmured. "You and your brother have come very close to losing each other more times than I care to count. Perhaps dwelling on one of your fears has allowed it to couple with another." She sighed, reaching to cup his cheek affectionately and offered him a smile. "Still, you are wise to watch it. You know well enough that not all magic is something that can be predicted. It can be manipulated to suit the caster's wishes, and if you have awoken something dark in your search...Guard your mind and build the defenses needed. Your strengths have always lain in other areas besides projection. Focus your defenses there."

He sighed, letting her words sink deep. "Thank you, Mother," he whispered and she leaned forward and kissed his cheek.

"Now come. If we're both found hiding in the library while your brother sits through Aegir's longwinded speeches I fear to think of the consequences."

* * *

TBC


	3. Part Three

A/N: Short update, I'm sorry! It was short or not at all... Today was crazy busy at work!

* * *

**Part Three. **

He wasn't sleeping. Thor had been watching him as carefully as he could, but each time he moved to approach his younger brother something would stop him. By the end of the week he was convinced that Loki was orchestrating it to avoid speaking on the subject. So he waited, certain that he could be as patient as the younger prince if he were forced into it.

The days wore against the trickster, and his brother needed no further proof than the way that he nearly nodded off during one of Aegir's long-winded speeches. While Thor had been caught gazing off into nothing during those moments, Loki was a master of illusion. He could at least look interested.

"I'm not blind."

Loki turned, his magic covering all the usual signs, but his brother knew him too well for the usual signs. "I know," he murmured as if he had known he had been pushing his luck to begin with.

Thor gave a frustrated sigh, nearly hauling the younger god out of the hall and into a side room. Loki looked only mildly startled at the abrupt action and offered a somewhat repentant look. "This is nothing that you can fix, brother," he said softly.

"So you will not share your worries because you think I'm too dumb to-"

"I never said that!" Loki snapped. He stopped and shot Thor a glare that told him he knew the elder prince's play. "But you're just trying to get me to tell you."

"Perhaps it is a trick I learned from my younger brother," the thunderer beamed, receiving a halfhearted swipe for his efforts. "Truly, though, I wish to help in any way I can. I know your dreams have troubled you."

"Have you spoken to Mother on this?"

Thor frowned, this time seeming to take insult. "I didn't need to."

The room they had ducked into was quiet and empty. No torches burned in it and the curtains were pulled shut so only a sliver of sunlight filtered through. It did not help the exhaustion that pulled at every nerve.

"Forgive me, brother. Every time I close my eyes now I seem to be some place else. It makes for very poor sleeping conditions." He paused, feeling blue eyes study him.

"You need not fight this demon alone," Thor murmured.

"I fear I've found no way to fight it at all." The trickster leaned against an old, rickety table that looked to have been left in the room to rot. "The notes I gave to Coulson were on Thanos and the Chitauri."

Thor stiffened at the name he had heard only from Loki's mumbled nightmares. He'd pieced enough of it together to know that he was some powerful and shadowy figure that had something to do with the Tesseract. He had assumed the power that pulled the strings of everyone that he used. The Chitauri, Arlan, and his brother all included. Loki would never speak of him in his waking hours and Thor had only asked once. His brother had gone paler than he'd ever seen, green eyes wide and murmured some poor excuse as to why the subject should be changed.

"Why?"

"Because it might be of some used to them someday."

"Loki..."

The younger prince offered a shrug. "I owed them a debt. I repaid it with the most valuable knowledge I had for them."

"And painted a target on yourself."

"I was careful. I removed myself from the situation as I wrote it down and I added several charms to hide the notes from prying eyes... I am not unaccustomed to doing things in secret. I tend to be quite good at it."

"But you think they found a way in?" Thor asked softly.

"Perhaps they're just dreams..."

"You know the difference. If you believe that there is an attack on you then it is so."

Loki blinked, feeling a strange sort of relief wash over him in his brother's unreserved confidence. Thor was never one to back down from a fight, whether he could fight it or not. There had never been a question in the younger prince's mind that if he approached his brother about this that he would have a protector from anything that he could not handle. The problem remained in the dream and the sound of Thor's body breaking that gave him pause. He could still hear the Chitauri envoy - he had named the creature The Other in his mind, because after his dealings he was certain that they did not bother with names - whispering in his rough, gravelly voice that there was no hope for salvation, that he would take everything and would show the trickster what pain truly was.

"Brother?" Thor murmured.

"I'm afraid," Loki whispered before he could convince himself not to. It was Thor, after all. It was Thor and a broken table and the walls. "This is magic. This is my forte and I... I _can't_ fight it, Thor. I've been through every book that even approaches the subject. Nothing has shed any light on it."

The crowned prince watched him carefully. "You know that I will let no harm come to you."

Thin lips stretched in an attempt to smile. "While I appreciate the thought, this is not your arena."

"Then bring me into it."

"It's not so simple..."

"But not impossible." He grinned brightly as he saw the younger prince's resolve melting. "We haven't fought the battles we've fought to go at our enemies separately, brother. Have you ever noticed it's when we try to fight them on our own that we fail?"

Loki shook his head, a smile perking his lips. "When did you become observant?"

Thor chuckled, slinging an arm around his shoulder and pulling him close. "Many hard lessons."

* * *

He wasn't sure when he fell asleep. The last thing he remembered was sitting at his favorite table in the library, Thor watching him and attempting to be helpful in any way he could. He had seen the blond nodding off, but he had been focused. Entirely focused, but now he was here.

"Loki?"

The second prince turned, eyes wide as they came to rest on Thor. His memories pulled and tugged from the sound of Thanos crushing the life from him.

"Where are we?"

"A rock," the younger brother croaked, voice rough as if he'd been screaming for ages. "On the edge of nothing."

Thor nodded and suddenly he seemed so real. There was something different, more solid to him and Loki couldn't stop himself as he reached out and touched his arm. "You're really here."

"We're in your dream, aren't we?" the crowned prince asked slowly, as if he worried that the question would sound more absurd to his brother than it did to him.

"Yes."

"Apparently you _can_ bring me along with you."

A sharp scream split the air and Loki cringed. The brothers could hear the muffled cries of someone just over the rocks, as if trying to keep silence and not quite being able to.

"Loki, that voice," Thor murmured, moving towards the small ledge that hid the tortured person from view.

The trickster grabbed his wrist, expression bordering on frantic. Thor turned to argue, but the Chitauri came fully into view, his red-stained teeth bared in a twisted smile as the scream erupted once more.

Thor and Loki both jolted upright in their chairs, the elder prince nearly tipping over backwards in his haste to pull from the nightmare. His younger brother shook silently, long hands covering his face and running back through his hair. Their breathing was the only sound that filled the library.

"Is that what you see?"

Loki looked over, noting the uncomfortable expression the other wore. "At times. Recently."

"Loki, that scream-"

"Yes."

"Is that a memory or a fear?"

The trickster's eyes shifted, finding the table very fascinating. His hands were balled into tight fist he trembled until his brother reached a steady hand to him and their eyes met. "Both," he said, voice barely audible.

"They tortured you."

"They were not the only ones."

Thor's hand did not leave his brother's, but his gaze shifted as he processed the information. All he could see was Loki slipping again and again, and falling. He should have let go and he should have grabbed him. He could have. He had fallen greater distances with Mjolnir to pull him back up to sturdier land. He could have saved his brother the pain, the misery.

Loki sniffed, gathering himself. "It's in the past," he said and turned his hand to briefly hold onto his brother's. "Now we just have to come up with a way to throw them off."

"You're the clever one," Thor said with a forced chuckle.

"Yes, and I can't find one damned thing."

"Could SHIELD have done something to your notes?"

"No, I charmed them well enough to keep that path closed."

"What if they did something to counter the charms."

Loki rolled his eyes, standing. "The _mortals_ outdo _my_ charms?"

"Their science is strange. I've seen it do things that only our magic can do. Perhaps they did something without knowing it was done."

The trickster sighed. "Care for a trip to Midgard?"

"When have I turned that down, brother?"

* * *

TBC

A/N: I feel like I should say something witty here, but I've got nothing. I really hope that this is coming out better than I feel like it is... I usually take more time to piece together an idea for a story before I begin to toss it onto a page...


	4. Part Four

A/N: Going to go see Pacific Rim tonight, so I thought I'd post earlier.

* * *

**Part Four.**

"We cannot simply board their helicarrier," Thor said again, his tone grating on his brother's nerves. This was why the younger prince so often went at the situation alone. He had slipped in and out of SHIELD's flying fortress several times now with little trouble, but as soon as he'd mentioned that to his brother the elder prince had begun what sounded like a well-rehersed litany of what was required to board the ship. There were paths that must be followed, the blond had explained even as Loki rolled his eyes.

"I take it you boarded one too many times without their precious authorization?"

"Director Fury was quite upset the last time," Thor admitted as the moved towards the sliding glass doors.

"And so the mortals trained the god of thunder," the dark haired prince grumbled. "I'm not allowed here, either, but that doesn't seem to bother you."

Thor shrugged as he pulled the door open, stepping into Stark Tower. There was a subtle sound, almost like a very distant alarm going off on another floor. There was only a brief delay before the elevator doors opened to show an irritable Tony Stark. He waved a remote control at the towering blond. "The door, like a normal person. Not the tenth floor balcony. We've discussed this." He clicked the remote and the sound quieted. "And no Loki. That is my rule. No offence, Reindeer Games."

"I would have preferred to remain out of your tower, Stark."

"Anthony, my brother and I must speak to Director Fury."

"And your brother couldn't have just magicked you over to his helicarrier?"

Loki shot Thor look and the god of thunder actually looked a bit sheepish.

"Ah," Tony drawled. "Fury lay into you?" He chuckled and offered a shrug. "Not like you'll make it easy waltzing in with him, but we'll give it a shot. This have something to do with the notes you dropped off?"

"It may. What do you know of it?"

"They wanted some tests run on it. You know, not everyone's as ready as to believe your innocence as your brother."

"Something that you have made abundantly clear. What tests?"

"Just a few basic searching for anything that might be used as a beacon."

Loki sighed as they followed the inventor into the elevator. They'd tampered with it in some way that he couldn't be sure of until he had a chance to see it. They were a curious yet distrustful lot, he had to give them that. Perhaps there was hope for Midgard yet.

"You look like hell."

Green eyes slid over to where Stark was leaning against the wall of the lift. The mortal was studying him, and Loki could not pull a memory from the handful of times he'd seen him in which they had met on amicable terms. Thor was fond enough of him, and Loki had found enough respect for several of the other Avengers to find them tolerable, but his guard went up with Stark. It seemed the feeling was mutual.

They remained silent as they drove to SHIELD's New York office and through the transport to the ship. Loki could feel the eyes on him, the recognition, and it struck him that these people were most likely from this city. He didn't expect that SHIELD had made his clearance public as the majority of Midgard would not understand what the Tesseract could do. So he remained silent, at last casting a spell that allowed him to move mostly unseen next to his brother.

Fury was not happy with the surprise visit. Apparently Stark followed less protocol than Thor had and he had been waiting for a chance to turn his wrath on the god of mischief since his first visit to Coulson's office nearly a month before.

"You barge into _my_ facilities, disregarding the pact that was made with _your_ people that kept you the hell off _our_ planet so shit doesn't get blown up!"

"Have you read the notes?"

"We've just gotten to them, but that's not the point-"

"So if I had handed it to my brother to give to you, that would have been better? I'll note that for next time I provide you with important information at great personal risk."

"The information could be useful if he ever shows up," Coulson offered from Fury's right side. "But you didn't come to check on the progress."

Loki tilted his head, eyes watching the agent carefully. "May I see the notes I provided to you?"

"They were just cleared for use. Handing them back to an outside source resets the whole clearance process."

Irritation clawed at him and he stopped the retort before it passed his lips. He looked between Fury and Coulson, feeling Thor at his back as a steady reassurance to all present. "It is possible that whatever you did to provide your clearance, as you say, may have countered the charms I set to keep it cloaked from interested eyes."

"You're saying you handed us something that'll act as a beacon?" Fury demanded.

"Many things may act as beacons. The spell I used to pull the memories that were written for you interwove my magic into it. That is why I cloaked it. I can't imagine what you could have done to counter it, but my brother feels, in light of recent events that we've seen, that it's worth a look."

"You have my word Loki will tamper with nothing," Thor offered. "If we find it unconnected to our problems, Midgard has nothing to worry on, but it is best to be certain."

Fury sighed heavily, glancing at Coulson who offered him a look that seemed to be part of a private conversation. "Fine," the director said at last. "Banner has it down in the labs."

"Banner?" Loki echoed.

"Problem?"

"None at all," the Asgarian murmured thickly and was suddenly refused to move from Thor's side.

* * *

He had written it off to the fact that most of his knowledge of Midgardian science came from Jane and his Avenger friends. Thor had, of course, no practical knowledge of it. So his brother had thought that his idea that the mortals could truly do anything to disrupt his charms - unintentional or otherwise - was an idea born of ignorance and a wish to heap abilities on those he cared for where they might not have been.

But as Loki held the leather-bound journal with his unique script filling the pages and he felt nothing - not even a reminent - of the spells he cast, he feared he needed to give Thor credit to this one. "What did you do to it?"

Banner frowned as he took book from the Asgardian's hands. "We ran a collection of tests. It had a strange reaction to one."

"Show me."

The scientist nodded and led the him around to a large contraption that Loki had never seen before. It was tall enough and wide enough for a full grown man to stand comfortably, even with the bit in the middle that Bruce said was meant to take the readings. Glass surrounded it for better viewing and there was a door to one side that appeared to lock down when active.

Banner explained the details of how it worked and Loki listened to perhaps half of it. His curiosity perked and he could feel the nervousness in the air as if it were tangible as his long fingers slid over the controls, searching for an answer in them and finding nothing of use. "May I?" he asked as he looked inside.

"I guess. It's off," Bruce said with a shrug. He glanced back at Thor. "Is he always this inquisitive?"

The thunderer smiled. "My brother finds little in the Nine Realms that he does not have at least some knowledge on. He has always sought after what he does not know."

"Sound like anyone else?" Banner chuckled, receiving a glare for his efforts.

"At least I don't go around destroying everything in my path," Tony groused.

"That reminds me, Stark, I've got a bill for you on that block you damaged last week."

"Real helpful, Coulson. See if I get pissed next time he kills you."

The banter was cut short as the machine roared to life. All attention turned to see Loki just as startled as the rest. Green widened and then suddenly rolled back, his knees giving way to send him crashing to the floor behind the glass.

"Thought that thing was off," Fury growled.

Banner was fighting with the dials. "It was! It gave some sort of reaction to him when he stepped in. I've never seen it do that."

Thor was at the door and gave it a sharp tug, finding it locked down tight. Loki was sprawled where he had landed and a tremor seemed to run through him, sending his lean frame into convulsions. Blue eyes turned frantically to Banner.

"I'm working on it," the scientist said without bothering to look up. His voice was calm even though he was moving quickly. "Don't break the door. We've got to get it shut off before we open it. Tony, you built the thing. What's the matter with it?"

Tony's dark eyes were already scanning the readout. "What the hell did he spark?" ge grumbled as me moved behind the control panel. With one sharp pull he'd tugged the cord from the wall and it powered down. He offered a shrug. "What? It's going to take some looking to figure out what he did to it. Did you want me to let him twitch? I can plug it back in."

Thor didn't wait for the go-ahead as he ripped the door open.

* * *

TBC


	5. Part Five

A/N: Because I'm always on the go and I write this when I have time in between things at work and such, I often write it on my phone. (Got to love Google Docs!) Being that as it is, I feel like I've written quite a bit, then I come over to a computer, copy and paste it in here, and realize that I haven't... *sigh*

* * *

**Part Five.**

Thor ripped the door open, fear rising within him as he saw his brother lying curled on one side, long legs bent at the knees and a tremor shaking his entire frame every few moments. His eyes were closed as the elder prince gathered him up and held him close, concentrating on the wheezing breaths that Loki pulled into his lungs. He continued to tremble, eyelids fluttering as if he were trying to wake but could not.

"What did it do to my brother?" The god of thunder rumbled. The anger in his voice would have sent lesser men running, but the SHIELD agents and Avengers stood their ground.

"It had the same reaction with his book," Bruce murmured in a way that sounded as if he were thinking aloud. "This is just... more. And his journal of notes didn't turn the machine on without us."

"Could it be reacting to his magic?" Thor asked in a quieter way.

"Not exactly what I built it to do, but it's possible," Tony answered as he came to crouch in front of the Asgardian princes. The younger was still unconscious, his face pale and drawn. "I thought you people bounced back pretty quick."

The blond frowned, shifting his brother so that he could stand with him still holding in his arms. "This is no physical wound."

Fury sighed from his place, arms crossed over his chest and single eye glaring in a way that everyone in the room knew meant he would take nothing less than straight answers. "You two had a reason for coming here, something that tipped you off."

Thor nodded, cradling his brother in his arms. The dark haired prince still had not stirred, but at least he seemed to have relaxed a bit. "I do not fully understand it. Magic is something Loki has studied in depth, but from what he has explained to me, he has suffered dreams that are not dreams recently that have led him to believe that something in the process of delivering this information to you was compromised."

"This Thanos guy is after your brother then?" Coulson asked.

"We do not know if it is Thanos or the Chitauri or both. We came here seeking answers to the many questions that have presented themselves."

"So you're telling me your brother has a hunch and other than that you've got nothing?" Fury growled.

Thor offered him a tired smile. "In a way."

"What would they want with him?"

"I do not know, Director," the thunderer murmured. "Loki does not care to speak of his time with the Chitauri before he came to Midgard. It pains him, I think, though he'll never admit it."

"Right. Well, until this is settled and we know that our planet's out of this Thanos' sights, I'm putting the Avengers on this."

"What, exactly, can we do?" Tony asked. "This magic stuff isn't exactly Bruce or mine's realm of expertise."

Fury frowned, gaze coming to rest on the unconscious god of mischief in his brother's arms. "You'll vouch for him?"

"I do. Completely."

A frustrated growl left the director of SHIELD. "Then you get him back to Stark Tower, you wake him up, and you figure out what the hell is going on before something goes worse than it already has."

"That does not sound like a plan," Bruce murmured.

"If it does, it sounds like a bad one," Tony agreed in an equally hushed tone.

"Just do it. Rogers is due back today. I'll put him on it."

"Great, because the only person better to put on the magic train than two scientist is Captain Spangly."

"Shut it, Stark. Just do it and keep this threat away from our planet."

* * *

He had wandered for nearly a year. It was nothing to the immortals. A blip in time, something easily lost, but every passing second had been an eternity in hel. He had been broken when he fell. He had meant to die, had hoped for it, but destiny was not so kind to a broken soul. So he had fallen and fallen and he could hardly remember the roots of Yggdrasil being so long.

The first world he had landed on had been unbearably hot. _A reminder_, he had thought bitterly to himself. Perhaps this was the end. It had not been, of course, and somehow he had managed to pull himself from that place.

He had never thought the Nine Realms particarly kind, but he found the places beyond even less so. He had fallen from the the Bridge broken, but by the time that the Chitauri had found him he was beaten as well.

Strength. These creatures reacted to strength. They were a warring race and were ready to rip anything or anyone to pieces that did not show the proper amount of strength. Loki had tried, really he had, but his magic was depleted and his mind exhausted. Resistance to it had only gone so far and he could still remember the sounds of his own tortured screams in a place that looked as if no sound should linger.

He could hear them now and he shuddered. The physical scars had faded to a point by now, but as he heard himself reduced to begging he could feel the burns, the lacerations, and the shame that was heaped upon him. Then, with no warning of the shift, he was face-down against the rocks, his whole body pained and he lost hold of the knowledge that this was a memory. This was a dream.

_Your potential lies untapped, my master thinks_, the gravely voice of The Other rasping all around him. _He wishes to make use of you._

Loki's throat was so raw that only a whimper could be heard as a foot pressed against his back, pushing him against the rocks.

_You need only bow to him._

"I bow to no one," the fallen prince managed, struggling to free himself as the pressure increased and he could feel the rocks below him dig into his many wounds.

_You may yet know pain if you continue down this path._

Loki wasn't sure what caused the pain, but it was enough that he did not question the shifting time. He was on his knees before Thanos now, eyes downcast and he felt an uneasy feeling pulling at him. He knew this feeling, but he couldn't place it.

A hand reached out and hauled him up by the throat. The struggle had left him and he simply hung there, limp and wondering if this could be the end of it.

Thanos' large mouth stretched into something that might have been a smile. "I had heard," he said, his voice coming from him instead of echoing all around, "that you have great possibilities. I think you are ready."

Loki was dropped to the ground and he landed in a heap. He barely saw the mutant lean forward, a sceptor in his hand that the prince was sure should be familiar. This is it then, he thought as the tip rested against his chest. Thanos, whoever he was, would rip a hole in him that his strained healing could not fight against. He would bleed out on this rock. Alone.

_You were always alone_, a voice whispered, _though he didn't recognise it. You were stolen for strategic purpose. You were different and completely, utterly alone._

He gave a short, pained cry against it, even as he heard Thanos tell him to give in to it. The pain would end and he would see truth. He would be more than Odin could have dreamed, he could find his purpose and his place in the worlds that seemed to offer him none. He could be a king, if he chose, or more.

Then he heard it, very distantly, but he would know the voice anywhere. "Thor," he managed in a pained whisper.

_He betrayed you_, the voice encouraged. _You were kept in his shadow. He threw you from the Bridge. He didn't save you. He couldn't save you._

He felt Thanos lift him so that he was held limply in the air before him. "He _wouldn't_ save you, little prince, because you were meant to rule and he couldn't bear it. Now open the portal."

Loki blinked, the words striking him. A memory, though different.

"You will release my brother," Thor's voice sounded from behind him.

Thanos snarled, the sound terrible and leaving the younger prince feeling cold inside. He was falling to the ground in the instant and felt Thor's hand against him. "You must wake, brother."

Loki felt confusion tug at him, but he took hold of Thor's offered hand and felt clarity as he was anchored.

* * *

Green eyes fluttered open. His whole body hurt, as though he'd been beaten again and again. He shifted, wincing against it, and found blue eyes staring at him. "Thor."

A bright smile stretched across the crowned prince's face. "I thought you might not wake," he admitted softly.

"Did you... Were you there again?"

"Yes. Though almost too late by the looks of it."

Loki shifted again and sat up, taking inventory. Though he ached terribly he could find no signs of blood on his clothing and he seemed to be mostly intact. He tried to pull together what had happened both before he had fallen asleep and during. "That machine?"

"You've been unconscious since it reacted to you," Thor confirmed.

"It suppressed my magic," the younger prince murmured as he reached long fingers out, only a wisp of green-gold produced from them. "That's why it countered my charms."

"It will come back though, won't it?"

"It's already begun, but to have it ripped from me like that..." He gave a shudder and pulled his knees to his chest. "Where are we?"

"Stark Tower. Loki, was that truly Thanos or simply an illusion of him?"

"I cannot be certain," the trickster admitted softly. "Most of what he said is directly pulled from my memories, and he did rely on my abilities to open the portal, but not then. It was out of place."

"What would that mean?"

Loki shook his head. "I cannot help but think he was trying to manipulate me into doing something."

Thor nodded and his brother knew he was absorbing as much as he could. He could not battle this as he usually did, but he had proven himself adept enough to enter Loki's dreams to help. Perhaps he had inherited some of his mother's abilities after all, though they might be well hidden.

"If you are well enough," the thunderer murmured, "Fury has asked the Avengers to help us in this. We need to make sure everyone is in understanding of what is happening."

The trickster nodded slowly. He was exhausted, but sleep would not be wise. Instead he unfolded himself carefully from the bed he'd been sleeping in. He watched Thor follow in the same way and they stood together.

"You know this does not need to be your fight, brother. I have brought this on myself."

Thor shot him a look. "I've never known you to be a fool."

A smile perked thin lips as the meaning was clear. They would stand together and the crowned prince of Asgard would have it no other way.

* * *

TBC


	6. Part Six

A/N: If you haven't had a chance to hop on YouTube yet and watch Zachary Levi's NerdHQ with Tom Hiddleston, I very much recommend it. This entire story was spawned out of the answer that Tom gave one young lady as to what happened between the Thor movie and Avengers that changed Loki's character so greatly. It's truly an amazing answer and a must-watch for any Loki fans.

* * *

**Part Six.**

Loki prided himself on his ability to read people. Some made it easier than others. His brother wore his emotions open and for all the Nine Realms to see. There was never a question if the god of thunder were angry or if he were filled the the joy that his sunny disposition so often provided to him. He read blatant distrust from the likes of Stark and Fury, and wariness from Coulson. Banner seemed to edge on that side as well, though he also favoured second chances, so the god of mischief had been told.

Steve Rogers could hide behind a thoughtful expression and Loki was not sure he liked it.

The blond soldier wore that expression now, back straight and sitting in one of the chairs littered around the room. Thor had assured him that Rogers held no ill will, but his brother was still unsure, especially in the way that Stark continuously muttered in his ear from his perch on the chair's arm. Without warning, Rogers rolled his eyes and sent the inventor tumbling off. "Enough, Tony," he groused, the expression breaking.

Thor and Loki had explained everything that they knew about what was happening around them and the sorcerer had done what he could to put it into a way that the mortals would understand.

"So, what the hell do you expect us to do about this?" Tony asked, picking himself up and shooting a glare in his friend's direction. "The guy's in your head or in your dreams. Unless he's physically on Earth there's really not much-"

"I've been able to travel through Loki's dreams," Thor interrupted. "It stands to reason that once his magic is fully restored that he could bring you in as well."

The inventor's dark eyes widened. "You want us to go into _his_ head?"

"I would much prefer you not to," Loki answered, voice clipped and curt.

"It is the only way, brother. If we defeat them they will let you be. They must. If they let you be, they will also let Midgard be." Blue eyes flickered to his mortal teammates.

Steve stood, catching Loki's gaze. "I'm sure it will be... intrusive," he said slowly, his voice careful. "But if you'll let us, perhaps we can help you."

"It's worth a shot, stopping it before they get to this side," Bruce agreed.

Tony made a surprised choking sound, as if he hadn't expected to be the only one against the idea. After looking at each teammate in turn his shoulders slumped and he sighed deeply. "Fine. I just better not get stuck in there."

Loki shifted uncomfortably. "It will be some hours yet until my magic returns to the point of being to bring you with me."

"So is this going to be like that movie where people traveled in dreams and when you get shot in the head you just wake up?"

"Do you compare everything to fiction?" Thor asked gruffly.

Tony shrugged. "Just the stuff that seems like it. A lot of it seems like it with you."

"While I do not understand your reference, the answer is no. To die in a dream that is not your own could sever your link to this realm."

"So it's like being three layers in?"

Loki did not partake in the collective sigh but simply turned and left the room, hearing the voices behind him fade. Rogers had been right when he had called the plan intrusive. They would see everything and there was no stopping it. They would seen the torture, the pain, and the weakness. Thor had witnessed it, but he as the only one that the trickster could ready himself to share this with. The thought of any of the Avengers knowing what he had been through sent chills down his spine and he could feel the pressure building. He couldn't let them see, couldn't let them use it against him. To some of SHIELD he was still the enemy, enough so that he had kept his distance over the years. Though why should they believe differently when his one attempt to reach out in kindness to them had brought Thanos to their doorstep?

He found himself bursting through a door at the end of a long hall and at the railing of a small balcony he had not seen before. Loki leaned over it, the cool evening air feeling better than what surely had been the rising heat inside. His eyes flickered across the city he leaned hard against the railing, running thin hands through dark hair. He stood there for several long moments, his mind reeling.

The sound of someone clearing his throat behind him startled him, though he'd never show it. He'd been so absorbed in his thoughts that the blond captain had felt the need to announce himself. He glanced back, acknowledging him, and Rogers moved forward only a couple of steps. "I need to know what we're up against before I send part of my team into it."

Loki sighed and turned so he was leaning against the railing. "I've told you everything that I-"

"I meant what do we expect when we... get in there."

"They've been memories, slightly distorted and very, very real feeling. I shouldn't think that the Chitauri or Thanos will take kindly to your being there."

"I wouldn't think so either, but I'm looking for how we shut this down. Thor and you mentioned a portal...?"

"I think he's trying to get me to open a portal to your Earth."

"So what are you two expecting? We go in, we fight him, and then what? It just ends?"

"I don't know!" Loki snapped, eyes widening a half second after the words left his mouth. His hand was shaking when it met his face and he ran it back through his hair again. A nervous laugh left his lips and he cracked an eye open to find Rogers studying him carefully. "I don't know," he repeated. "I've been... wracking my brain since this began on how to end it, though the lack of sleep coupled with the fact that when I do sleep, I'm fighting for my life... It does tend to dull the wits a bit. What Fury thought the lot of you can do to help in it is beyond me, but if it will make you feel useful in defending your world..." He stopped, eyes focused on what appeared to be nothing. "He wants me to open a portal but there's already a partial one open. He opened it by using the notes as a beacon. If we could close that, it'll close him out."

"How do we close that? Is it a portal like the one the Chitauri came through here in Manhattan?"

"No... well, a bit. It wouldn't be big enough to be visible yet. I slip through dimensions all the time using small portals. This one would be too weak of a connection to be seen, that's he has to use the dreams... Why he hasn't simply stepped through."

"And you can close that down?"

"Yes, given the proper time."

"We can buy you time."

Loki looked at him and felt a small prick of gratitude begin to blossom. "Thank you," he said at last.

"Don't thank me yet. Let's just keep this bastard out."

* * *

The brothers had explained in detail what to expect, so when they were pulled into a dark cellar it was a surprise. The lights were dim, but Thor recognized that his brother had begun shaking as soon as he saw it. "It's just a dream," he reminded him softly with a hand on his shoulder.

The physical contact helped and Loki took a steadying breath. "He knows I brought you with me."

"Can it still be done?" Banner asked.

"I need concentration. It's an incantation, a different type of spell than I usually cast. If it's broken or stopped, it must be begun again from the beginning."

A scream ripped through the underground corridor and Loki visibly winced.

"What the hell was that?" Stark demanded.

"That would be my memory," the god of mischief murmured.

"What did they do to you here?"

Green eyes shifted to the captain, noting the expression that said that he must have a pretty good idea. Loki offered a strained smile.

The sound echoed again and then stopped abruptly, as if cut off, and all five looked down the hall. The memory was clear, showing the bruises and blood on the bound sorcerer that was being shoved along down the hall. Chains rattled at his wrists and ankles and The Other smiled cruelly as he threw him to the ground, Loki's memory-self vanishing as he hit and the Chitauri envoy looked up with his hidden eyes and focused on them. _Foolish, prince, to bring your friends to aid you. Did we not show to you what would happen to your brother?_

The landscape shifted and they were outside, the image of Thor being killed playing out in front of them and causing the blond prince to frown deeply. "We are not afraid of your illusions, creature. You want a fight, we are here to battle you. There has been enough cowardice shown by you in attacking through dreams."

The Other lifted one hand, motioning, and the rocks were suddenly crawling with Chitauri.

"This... is not good," Tony murmured, his faceplate coming down into place.

"How much time do you need?"

"I don't know for certain. A few minutes."

Steve nodded. "Then you have it. Let's do this."

Loki watched only briefly as Banner was replaced by the giant rage monster that had been the center of a few nightmares of his own. Strange, the trickster thought, that he had a place fighting his nightmares now. The four Avengers crashed with the Chitauri and Thanos could be seen watching from the ledge across the way.

They did not have long. He would have to choose to trust them. The dark haired prince closed his eyes and sought out the small rift he now knew he was looking for. When he found it he felt his magic gather around him, glowing soft green and his thin lips moved in a language that few could understand and even fewer had mastered. The words left his lips with such focus that he was entirely unaware as the battle raged around him.

Steve swung his shield around, connecting and bouncing off of each alien as he did. He sent it flying and it ricocheted, taking down three more. He felt Tony against his back and took the signal, shifting so that his shield caught the beam of energy and brought down several more.

"I feel like we've been here before," the captain said with a small smirk.

"Same battle, different local. Gotta say that I'd rather them destroy a rock than New York." Tony slammed his arm back, connecting with a Chitauri and sending him rolling. "You think that was real back there?"

Deflect. Contact. Deflect. Damn. That would leave a bruise. "Do I think what was real?"

"Loki, chained and beaten and stuff. We're in a nightmare from what they've said. You think that's some exaggerated event?"

"I don't think it was exaggerated at all." Blue eyes widened. "Tony!"

The blast from the Chitauri weapon caught the shoulder of the suit, sending its pilot flying. He hit hard, feeling the alien come after him and clawing at his armor. It was gone as soon as it was there, Captain America reaching down to give him a hand up. "Focus," he said sternly.

"Right."

Thor swung Mjolnir in wide arcs, taking the creatures out on all sides. He glanced back at his brother, noting the way that the air seemed to buzz around him and glow. They had focused the fight on themselves, and that had been the point of it, leaving the Asgardian sorcerer to close it down. He felt a smile perk the edges of his lips, even as one of the Chitauri came at him with a scepter, screaming and howling at him. He pushed back, his hammer slamming into him and downing the foe. He had often mocked Loki in their younger days for his focus on magic, encouraging him to battle just as he did, but in their later years, these past few years, he had come to realize that they were well balanced. He'd spoken to Odin on it, briefly when he had first asked for Loki to serve in the role as his lead advisor, and their Father had given him a knowing smile. They were bound, the Allfather had said, by something much stronger than blood. Every new battle only proved that all the more.

He had lost sight of The Other who had stood and watched on the ledge with Thanos. He had tried to keep watch on them, but with the increasing number of soldiers coming it had been difficult. Blue eyes searched now, not finding him in any place away from the action that could be seen. His gaze turned back to Loki, feeling the need to make sure that all eyes were still off of him and he found the Chitauri leader as well. A cry pulled from Thor's throat and somehow he knew he wouldn't make it in time.

Loki's concentration was broken, but if it was by his brother's cry or the scepter that pierced straight through none of them were sure. Green eyes went wide in shock and he gave a short choking sound as The Other lifted him off his feet, a cruel smile showing his red-stained teeth.

* * *

TBC

A/N: So, apparently Marvel's just gone crazy with multiple shows pulling from the MCU, which I have no complaint about. What is interesting is that when I discovered the Avengers Assemble show today that they've had on Disney (started up in May, I think), I found some very interesting things... like an unseen entity floating around Stark Mansion that turned the Avengers on each other and shadow creatures attacking. Coincidence? Still watching to see if there are any more...


	7. Part Seven

A/N: *sigh* I'm not sure if I like the flow of this, but I've been toying with it all evening. Hopefully it comes across better to you than it does to me.

Also, for fellow Doctor Who fans out there, anyone have any thoughts on the Twelfth Doctor casting choice?

* * *

**Part Seven**

The entire battle froze in place as the Avengers realized what had happened. The spell that they had been relying on was broken and the caster gave a pained sound as blood fell from his lips. Thor cried out again, but his voice seemed lost into the vastness of space around them.

"So what happens if he dies and we're all in here?" Tony managed.

"I don't think we want to find out," Steve answered, readying his shield. A brief glance in Thor's direction told him that the crowned prince of Asgard was ready to leap forward at any moment. Perhaps, if nothing else, they could have Loki pull them from the dream and regroup on the other side to try again. It was a step back and it would be difficult to try this more than once, but he didn't see another choice that would present itself.

_You thought you could defeat us?_ The Other's gravely voice sounded all around them and he pulled hard on the scepter in his hands, causing the dark haired prince to cringe._ Even with your friends you are weak. Open the portal, trickster, and this will be done._

Loki's eyes were closed, pain causing every muscle to tense as the creature spoke. He could barely pull the air into his lungs that he needed and at that moment he could not be sure if this were a dream or not. He just wanted it to end. Hadn't he suffered enough? He just wanted to go home...

_You have no home._

Green eyes snapped open. Yes he did. He had a home and a life that he had fought for to get back. He had sacrificed for. There was proof that the nightmare was no longer based in reality by his brother calling for him. A determined look crossed his features and thin lips pulled into a smile. "It's different now," he rasped.

The Other's eyes may have widened behind their veil, but Loki couldn't see. All that anyone saw was the burst of magic that threw the Chitauri back and the fight began anew.

Thor knocked everything out of the way that stood between he and his brother, reaching Loki's side as the younger prince fell to his knees. Large hands took hold of his shoulders, cradling him. "It's just a dream, brother," he reminded him softly. "We can go. We'll come back and-"

"We need to finish this now. We will never have a chance like this one," the trickster murmured. He glanced up, hoping that his smile eased his elder brother's worries. The strong hands protecting him reminded that this was a dream. The wounds were not real and the pain would pass. He took a steadying breath. "Stay?"

"Of course," Thor breathed.

"He's going for it again," Steve managed as he dodged a near hit. A smile perked his lips. "We've been underestimating him."

"Umm, I don't think that Thanos guy is going to take this well," Tony managed, pointing towards the mutant that was stalking towards the Asgardian brothers. Loki's focus was back to the spell and Thor's focus was on Loki, neither looking at the approaching threat.

Hulk was the first to him, giving an angry cry as he slammed his fist down to catch him. Thanos turned, though, catching he punch mid swing and threw the Avenger back like he'd been little more than a pest. Steve and Tony looked at each other, eyes wide at the sight, and nodded, each taking a different direction. One large hand took hold of the Iron Man, swinging him around so that he slammed fully into the blond captain and they both rolled out of the way. Thanos continued on.

Thor glanced back, unable to ignore the threat any longer. "Whatever happens, brother, it is only a dream unless they get through," he murmured. The god of thunder stood, swinging Mjolnir around, but it was caught just as the Hulk had been. "We cannot be defeated here, monster."

A twisted smile spread across Thanos' face. "What makes you think he won't give in as he did before?"

Thor met the smile with a confident one of his own. "We've grown." He had no time to respond, even with the speed he possessed, as Thanos swung him around, slamming him into the ground. He could see Loki glance up, brows drawn in worry, but his lips still moved with the spell. He had heard his elder brother.

The sound could be heard all across the rock as Thanos slammed him again and again until Thor went entirely limp in his grasp. "This could have been easier," the mutant muttered, turning his gaze to the sorcerer. "I have lost my patience."

Words ceased to flow from the god of mischief and he looked up from his spot. There was only a moment, a very brief moment, in which he thought that he might be torn to pieces, but then the pull began and he saw the recognition in the looming creature's eyes as a triumphant smirk was the last he saw of the trickster as the hole he'd used to pull them through to the dream snapped closed and they were gone from it.

* * *

Tony came to first and he gave a groan. "I thought there weren't supposed to be any lasting effects from a dream," he groused.

"He got it closed then?" Steve asked from his place. He was holding his head as well, eyes a bit blurred as if he were still trying to find his footing in wakeful reality. He looked over, Bruce looking much like he and Tony, but the princes were still in their places, neither having budged. He stood stiffly from the chair he'd been in, but found Tony moving past him.

"Shouldn't they be awake by now?" the inventor asked as he put a hand to Thor's throat, checking the pulse. It was there, but he couldn't be sure what was strong or weak for an Asgardian pulse. He glanced over to where Loki was slumped down in his own seat, eyelids still fluttering as if he were in the dream, and dark red soaking through his green tunic. "I thought if everything went well that none of the injuries should have come through."

Loki gave a low groan as if in response, green eyes slipping open. He found each Avenger looking at him and he shifted, wincing as he did. "Well damn," he muttered, hand going to the wound. It was not nearly as deep or dangerous as it had been in the dreamscape, but it was enough to keep him from popping directly to his feet. He looked at each of them and then to the place that he knew his brother had taken to enter the dream. "Thor."

The blond prince was still limp and Tony took a step back away from him. "What the hell happened at the end?"

"It would appear that Thanos had a plan to fall back on if I continued to refuse to open his portal," Loki murmured, forcing himself unsteadily to his feet so that he could take a knee next to Thor. "He'd nearly opened the smaller portal enough to come through. Any delay in closing it would have allowed him passage to this realm. It would appear that Thor and I were too close to that rift." He frowned as he reached out to his brother, thin fingers hovering over him. The injuries that the thunderer had sustained were, like Loki's own, lesser than they had been in the dream realm, but some had remained.

"Is he alright?"

Loki glanced back, but his brother's blue eyes fluttered open before he could answer. One large hand reached up and a smaller one met it. "It's closed?"

"Yes."

"Then we've stopped him," Thor murmured, his voice thick as he squeezed his younger brother's hand. "Everyone?"

"Everyone came through," Loki acknowledged.

"You and Loki received the worst end of it it looks like," Steve acknowledged.

Thor nodded, glancing at the trickster. He frowned at the blood, but Loki shook his head. "It's not bad," he said with a smile.

He watched his brother sit up slowly, wincing as he did. With all the determination that he had always known in him, the god of thunder reached his feet and took a look around Tony Stark's living room. "Then we have returned victorious. Midgard is safe." He glanced down to where Loki had not bothered to stand. He offered a hand to him. "As are you."

A smile stretched across thin lips and he took his brother's hand and was pulled to his feet and into a tight embrace. He didn't squirm out of it, but as the memory of Thanos beating his brother into the ground replayed again and again in his mind, he wrapped long arms around him carefully and returned it.

* * *

Tony Stark was not one that partook in blind faith. He prefered his proof solid and tangible, with little room to counter on either side. Growing up, he hadn't entirely believed his father when Howard had told him stories of a super soldier from the second World War, but Steve Rogers was a difficult man to deny when set face-to-face with him. The inventor still wasn't sure he would consider the Asgardian brothers as gods, but after the events of this particular adventure, he had seen quite a bit more than he ever thought he would.

Fury was interrogating - debriefing was the technical term, but Tony was sure that if he were to interrogate them it wouldn't be much different - Thor in a downstairs office. He'd spoken briefly to Loki, but the dark haired prince had been released to wander the halls until his brother was ready for the return trip home. Stark found him sitting on the ledge of the deck that the Asgardian had thrown him over and beyond just a few years prior.

"Rare for you to seek me out," Loki murmured as Tony approached him from behind.

"Yeah, well, times change and all that," the mortal said with a shrug. He took a seat next to him without invite and handed him a glass with a couple of cubes of ice that were floating in amber liquid. "How 'bout that drink?"

The god of mischief chuckled and accepted the peace offering. He turned his gaze back out to the city. "I won't won't say it often, nor will I admit to saying it now, but you people have an amazing skill for coming back from tragedy."

"Yeah, it's pretty hard to take us down."

"Hope for humanity yet."

Tony took a drink from his own glass. "How're you feeling?"

"Better. I'll be perfectly whole in a day or two." Green eyes shifted back and Loki turned to watch him fully. Stark appeared uncomfortable where he sat, as if he'd come for a purpose and then lost his nerve. Dark eyebrows rose in question.

"Listen," the inventor murmured, his usual smooth voice halted and awkward. "I'm not often wrong, but I usually try to come out and say it when I am. Sometimes it takes a while, but... Well..." He shifted again when the prince said nothing and he sucked in a deep breath. "I know what it's like to be taken against your will, to have them want to... use your skills."

"You've experienced the like?"

Tony tapped against his chest, a small sound coming from the ARC reactor there. "Yeah. Nearly killed me."

Loki offered him an understanding smile. "It seems we've found common ground, Stark."

"Would have liked to have found it in a better place," he murmured in response, pulling his legs under him to stand. "Just because they're dealt with and put away doesn't mean that they won't haunt you."

"This is true." Loki perked as he heard his name called from inside. "Though I'd say we both have our anchors to pull us back from such dark depths."

Tony grinned broadly and clinked his glass to Loki's. He didn't say anything, but the acknowledgement was there, as was yet another unspoken truce between the god of mischief and another Avenger. It was not all bad, Loki thought as approached Thor and his brother reached out a hand for him. He rolled his eyes as one large arm wrapped around his shoulders, pulling him along and a thundering laugh escaping from the taller Asgardian.

"Ready?" Thor asked, releasing him.

Loki straightened and brushed off his clothes, the corners of his mouth quirking at the edges. "Let's go home," he agreed, pulling them through the branches of Yggdrasil to the Realm Eternal.

* * *

END

A/N: So, I received a request from the fantastic The Pearl Maiden for a story in which the brothers need to rescue Rowen. The ideas been tossing around in my head and I think I've come up with what may be a plot to go along with it, so that's what I plan to embark on next. I plan to start it tomorrow, so I should begin posting it tomorrow or Tuesday... Wednesday at the latest.


End file.
